The sweet secret of frangipane: a royal treat for Epiphany
If you've ever had the privilege of biting into a French galette des rois, you know there's something special hidden between the crispy layers of golden puff pastry. No, we're not talking about the typical porcelain figurine; we're talking about frangipane, that almondy cream that seems to be made to convince you that happiness exists in the form of dessert.
The frangipane is not a simple cream. It is a true culinary pleasure born from humble ingredients: ground almonds, butter, sugar and egg. As the French pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Hermé says: "It's like a hug in every bite".
A cream to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men from the East
Today, frangipane is the absolute protagonist of the galette des rois, a dessert that reigns on French tables during Epiphany. If every January 6 in Spain the traditional roscón de reyes is eaten, thousands of other European homes surrender to this puff pastry cake filled with frangipane. In both cases, the tradition of hiding a bean or figurine inside the cake is maintained. Whoever finds it is crowned king or queen of the day. And although the idea of the figurine is fun, the real prize is in every bite of these delicious sweets.
Frangipane, a timeless delicacy
Imagine: the natural sweetness of the almond, the creaminess of the butter and the airy texture of the egg. That's frangipane. Plus, in many countries, almonds have a symbolism of good luck and fertility, something that seems to fit with the festive spirit of Epiphany.
Galette des rois is not the only recipe that uses frangipane. In English cuisine, the Bakewell tart also boasts this delicious filling.
Despite its holiday tradition, frangipane is a simple recipe that you can prepare at home to add a sophisticated touch to your desserts. Let's see how!
The frangipane cream recipe
The frangipane, or as we would say in Spain, frangipane, is a cream widely used in pastry making, not only as a filling for the popular gallete des rois. There are, let's say, two versions of this cream: a simple version in which only almond cream is used and another, more elaborate, which consists of an almond cream and a pastry cream.
ALMOND CREAM
- Ingredients: 150 g of sugar, 60 g of butter, 3 eggs and 150 g of almond powder.
- Step by step: Mix the almond powder + sugar. Then add the butter and mix well. Finally, add the eggs and mix well.
- Ingredients: 500 ml of milk, 1 vanilla pod, 4 egg yolks, 125 gr of sugar and 40 gr of cornstarch.
- Step by step: Heat the milk with an open vanilla pod. Meanwhile, mix yolks with sugar until light; add cornstarch. Slowly add the infused milk (without the pod) and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened (about 10 min).
FRANGIPANE CREAM
- Step by step: Mix 2 parts almond cream to 1 part pastry cream and that's it!
Time to put on your apron
This cream, with its delicious flavor and incomparable texture, is ideal not only for filling galette des rois or bakewell tart. Dare to incorporate it in other sweet preparations. Change, for example, the almonds for hazelnuts as we did in these apple pies or even for pistachios as we did in this raspberry galette. Do not hesitate to use this cream if you are looking to surprise at the Epiphany table.
